Youth is Wasted on the Naive
by Walker Matrix
Summary: One-shot. Take a step into the mind of Gohan after the Cell games. His thoughts on a naive little girl who knew nothing of war. His relization of something foreign, and the knowledge that he will never be an innocent ever again


* * *

Disclaimer: FANfiction

Jiin: You know that's really not a disclaimer right?

Ren: Yah runaway you could get sued.

Runaway: SHUT THE FUCK UP!!

"_Hi! Who are you?! You wanna play war with me? Huh? Huh? Do yah?"_

* * *

Gohan quietly walked down the brick road, carefully makind his way around the bunches of plastic bags that had accumulated there. Silently, not making a sound, he slipped into the shadows and became one.(1

"_Areyahgonnaanswerme?Canyahtalk?Didsomecateatyour tounge?Ooohcool,canihavemytoungeeatenbyacat?Cani?Huh?Huh?Cani?"(2 _

* * *

Gohan swept by the old houses, disturbing not a thing. He reached the end of the brick road, but he kept on moving, this time, through trees.

_A scowl._

_What was this girl yapping about?!_

"_Come on play war with me! It'll be fun! But I get to be the hero! You have to be the evil villain who loses all the time!"_

_Hah! War, fun? A hero who always wins? What a silly fantasy, nothing more than a naïve dream. Silly child, filled with nothing but………._

_He paused, shocked at the word._

……_**innocence**…… _

* * *

Gohan sighed, quietly though, he was still a shadow. Nimbly he darted from tree branch to tree branch, causing leaves to quiver in his wake.

_Without an answer to any of her questions, the girl immediately forgot him and started playing with her toys._

"_Die evil villain! For I am the almighty hero and you can not hurt me! Nothing can ever hurt me!"_

_He stared at her insolence, what in hell did she think battles were about? Evil always losing and the hero returning unscathed, the victor? What world was she living? How could some one possibly be that blind?!_

"_What the hell are you doing?!"_

* * *

He could hear the faint splash of a waterfall in the distance. If possible he became even quieter than before. His movements were quick and light, barely touching anything, but lightning fast as quicksilver, making his body a flitting image through the branches.

Now no leaves fluttered around him, there was nothing there to cause a disruption. Nothing there at all.

Nothing but a shadow, flitting through the trees.

* * *

"_Oh!"_

_The girl turned around. She didn't note the scowl appearing on his face. _

"_Wanna play with me now?"_

"_No."_

* * *

The sound of the waterfall grew louder. The setting sun caused the sky to grow darker. A shadow moved quicker.

A single leaf fell to the ground.

"_Kuso."(3_

* * *

"_Oh come on, please?"_

"_I said no."_

"_Why not?"_

_A pout appeared._

"_How can you live like this?"_

_The pout disappeared. _

"_Live like what?"_

"_How can you keep on living…"_

_A moments hesitation. _

"_..a lie…"_

* * *

Green ears twitched. An eye opened, and glanced at a single fallen leaf.

_He's getting good._

* * *

"_Whadda yah mean, livin' a lie?"_

_He stared, he couldn't help it. She didn't know?.. How could she possibly not know?!_

"_Are yah gonna answer me?"_

_A decision, he would tell her._

"_Life isn't always about butterflies and rainbows. People die, the good guys don't always win, sometimes,"_

_An un noticed pause._

"_Sometimes the good guys lose."_

* * *

The shadow stilled, seated on a branch, one with the tree. Nothing moved, nothing stirred, absolutely nothing.

Nothing at all.

Nothing at all.

Good.

* * *

_Tears, threatening to spill, a silly dream still alive._

"_LIAR! The good guys always win!"_

_If humanly possible, he got more irritaded. This girl would not let go of her stupid fantasy. He stared at her. She stared back. A war was waged._

"_T-the good g-guys always win. A-always."_

_And someone lost._

* * *

Pointed ears twitched again. He could hear it, his student's breathing, but barely. He hightened his gaze to topmost branches of the tree.

There.

On the thin trunk, a shadow.

A _breathing_ shadow.

He held out the one fallen leaf.

"One fell."

"_Kuso." _

* * *

_The tears now fell, unheede, down the girl's face. Accusation was written in her face._

"_What…"_

_He turned his back to her…. _

* * *

The shadow slipped from the tree, grabbing the leaf before landing on his feet. In one fluid motion he jumped from his place on the ground, to atop the waterfall.

"Hey Piccolo.."

* * *

"_..do.."_

…_and started walking away…_

* * *

"What is it Gohan?"

* * *

"_..you…"_

_He was further away now…._

* * *

"I realized something today."

An uninterested mumble.

"What?"

* * *

"_..know!"_

_He stopped……Turned back around._

_A growl.._

* * *

Silence..

A grimace, then a smirk.

Then more silence.

_Beautifull_ silence.

* * *

"_What do I know?! You dare ask me what do I know?! You don't know how Kami forsaken lucky you are! When I was your age I had already witnessed chaos firsthand! Do you know how many people would sell their souls just to live one day of your life?! And then you go ranting about how battles are all a bout good always winning! Well to tell you something, they're not! People actually die out there!"_

_Nothing._

_Then, a hint of doubt._

"_I know because during one of those battles my father died out there. And to this day, I know he died by my hands."_

_No words, no doubt, no more happy naïve little dream._

* * *

"Youth is wasted on the naïve."

* * *

_Oh my son, _

_How I long to heal your pain, _

_To undo the hurt that has been done,_

_To let you know that there is a life out there,_

_A life filled with only happiness and dreams,_

_Not a wasteland of nightmares and death._

_Oh my son,_

_I am sorry. _

* * *

(1) Well depends on how you look at it. He can really become a shadow, or he can just move like one.

(2) Translated: Are you gonna answer me? Can you talk? Did some cat eat your tounge? Oooh cool, can I have my tounge eaten by a cat? Can i? Huh? Huh? Can i?

(3) Shit, damn, fuck, pick one! It's Japanese for all three.

Soooooooo. How did you like? Will you review? Hah Gimny! I'm catching up! (Sticks tounge out)

Jiin: She is so childish.

Ren: Yep. Heh, runaway's not yelling at us anymore.

Gohan: She was yelling at you?

Jiin/Ren: OMG! Not again! Quick get out of here! Last time you appeared then left she tortured us for weeks!

Gohan: sorry. Maybe I'll go back to Gimny.

runaway: GOHAN!!!

Vix: Review the FUCKIN STORY!!

Airten: Puh-weese!


End file.
